1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an armrest for a vehicle, and more particularly relates to an armrest having a latch lock out assembly arranged therein to prevent an armrest lid latch hook from moving into a disengaged position when the armrest is rotated into a stored or seatback position.
2. Description of Related Art
Storage armrests are well known and widely used in prior art vehicles. Storage armrests have become a popular vehicle accessory with an upper surface of the armrest forming both the resting surface for use as an armrest when in a generally horizontal position between either the front seats of a vehicle or arranged within the rear seats of a vehicle and a cover for a storage compartment or bin defined by the body of the armrest. Generally, any number of latches, such as push button latches, provide access to the armrest cover. As can be appreciated however, when the armrest is in the vertical raised position between the vehicle seats, loose items contained in the storage bin can inadvertently be discharged from the storage bin if the latch is accidentally actuated or damaged, which may occur by reaching between the seats into the rear seats and inadvertently depressing the typical push button latch control mechanism.
In order to overcome this problem of inadvertent opening of the cover of a armrest for use in a vehicle, many in the prior art have proposed using conventional gravity actuated mechanisms. Generally, these gravity actuated mechanisms lock out the latch assembly when the armrest assembly is positioned towards a vertical orientation such as when it is in a stored or seat back position. Some of these prior art lock out designs used such mechanisms as a locking ball, barrel or pendulum to create the lockout desired for the situation. Generally, these prior art mechanisms were characterized by an undesirable noisy rattle that resulted from the moveable portion of the lock-out mechanism being moved by vehicle vibration. Furthermore, some of these prior art mechanisms may not engage completely and thus allow for inadvertent opening of the covers on the armrest. Also, many of these prior art lock out systems may have included design imperfections on surfaces and free parts within the mechanism may hinder the proper operation of the lock out mechanism thus also leading to inadvertent opening of the cover and spilling of the contents within the vehicle. Also it should be noted that many of these prior art mechanisms required many parts and were labor intensive to manufacture and assemble within the armrest for use in the vehicle.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a low cost, light weight latch lock out assembly for use in an armrest that rotates between a generally vertical seat back position and a generally horizontal or armrest position within a vehicle interior. There also is a need in the art for a lock out assembly that is easy to install and reduces the number of parts necessary to provide the lock out function. There also is a need in the art for a light weight and low noise alternate for a lock out mechanism for use in a vehicle armrest that rotates between a generally vertical position to a generally horizontal position within a vehicle interior. There also is a need in the art for an improved latch lock out assembly that reduces production time, cost and parts while also reducing the potential for noise to occur between the moveable portion of the lockout assembly and the surrounding armrest structure.